Can someone PLEASE tell me how to take pics of my HDTV widescreen tv with a movie paused.
I'm using a standard 35mm camera and have used no flash and a flash. They BOTH have turned out HORRIBLE!
THANKS IN ADVANCE!
------------------[Edited last by JohnS on August 02, 2001 at 05:00 PM]

Did you try pausing it?
I took some pictures with it paused but didn't like them cause the dvd player looked crappy paused.
Finally, I turned off all my lights and took them with no flash and my digital camera set to night mode. They came out okay and I posted them on my site.
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Goto www.erols.com/rmahle to see my theater

Set your shutter speed to 1/30 second, so that you get a complete scan. (Actually, 1/60 should work if you have a progressive scan TV). If you don't have exactly a full scan your picture will not turn out well. Your eyes are not fast enough to see the scans, but your camera is. At 1/30 you will need to hold steady. A tripod will be helpful.
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The bitterness of low quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price has passed.

The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price has passed.

JohnS,
Try using a higher speed film. 800 or 1600 speed.
Do you have a dimmer on your lighting? If not, use lower Watt light bulbs, just to get some lighting, enough for the camera to focus. Pictures should come out better.
Hope this helps,
LP
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One technique I've used is to do a double exposure.
Using a tripod and cable release, take a long existing-light (no flash) exposure with the room lights on and screen dark. Then without advancing the film, expose again with the room lights out and the screen on. Some experimentation will be necessary to get the right exposure and balance...
A similar approach is to take two separate pictures (as above) instead of a double exposure, and combine the two images in Photoshop. This makes it easier to adjust the balance and allows you to matte out everything except the screen in the "screen" photo so that the screen illumination does not affect the color of nearby objects in the "room light" photo.
I have used this technique to photograph historic movie theaters with much success, though of course this case requires more coordination to get the right image on the screen at the right time!

Take a look at some of my shots on the site below.
Basically, I experiented with various film speeds and types. I found that both Kodak and Fuji did not turn out too well and ended up using Master Choice (made by Agfa) 400 speed film available at the supermarket of all places. This film out-performed brands 3-4 times the price, I couldn't believe it.
Turn off all lights. Place your camera on a tripod. Use no flash. Use no zoom. If you want a bigger image, move the camera closer to the screen. The place you take it to get develpoed is of upmost importance too. Take it to one of the larger reputable places that has the machine onsite rather than a small place that has to send them offsite. Make sure your camera is clean inside and out also. You may need to clean the inside of the lens, shutter etc.
orangeman
------------------Neil's H.T. Site
(plus large selection of H.T.Links and movie images)